House CODELs Cover the Globe

Members of Congress regularly travel to other countries for fact-finding and educational purposes, with the taxpayers covering the costs for the worldwide travel.

During the fourth quarter of 2013, the standing committees of the House have reported paying for the following travel.

The Committee on Foreign Affairs spent $194,729 in the fourth quarter. The committee paid $13,340 for Rep. Juan Vargas, D-Calif., to go to Pakistan, Afghanistan, and UAE; $12,403 for Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., to go to Pakistan, Afghanistan and the UAE; $13,463 for Rep. George Holding, R-N.C., to go to India; $10,167 for Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., to go to the Philippines; $12,056 for Rep. Steve Chabot, R-Ohio, to go to Bangladesh and the UAE; $5,362 for Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., to go to Pakistan, Afghanistan and the UAE; and $6,542 for Rep. Greg Meeks, D-N.Y., to go to German & Belgium.

The Committee on Armed Services paid for several members to go to Germany, Poland, and the United Kingdom. This included Rep. Michael Turner, R-Ohio, $368; and Rep. Loretta Sanchez, D-Calif., $368. Rep. Trent Franks, R-Ariz., went to the Philippines $577, and Rep. Madeleine Bordallo, D-Guam, went to India $1,209.

The Committee on Appropriations paid for Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Calif., to go to Portugal $7,325; and Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Fla., to go to Belgium $11,643. The Committee on Energy & Commerce paid $12,383 for Rep. Pete Olson, R-Texas, to go to India. The Committee on Financial Services paid $12,677 for Rep. Robert Pittenger, R-N.C., to go to Israel, Austria and Norway. The Committee on Science, Space and Technology paid for Rep. David Schweikert, R-Ariz., to go to India $15,800.

A delegation of twenty-two members went to South Africa for the memorial service for Nelson Mandela. The trip cost $48,921, excluding the military air transportation.

A delegation of nine members went to Mexico in November, costing $24,810.

The committees still use varying methods of reporting travel costs. In some cases, the general delegation costs are listed separately from any specific member’s total. A few committees have not reported their fourth quarter travel costs.

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Political MoneyLine is about following money in politics. It's a cash register for givers, receivers and those who want to watch the flow.

Kent Cooper has been uncovering and counting political money since 1972, when new disclosure laws took effect. He was assistant staff director for the Federal Election Commission's disclosure office for 22 years.

Tony Raymond was at the FEC for more than 20 years, analyzing reports and serving as the FEC's first webmaster.

They currently produce the Political MoneyLine website on CQ.com and developed its earlier versions: FECInfo, Public Disclosure Inc., and Tray.com.